X-Men Legends Interview (XB, PS2, GC)

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We make use of our own special abilities to get the facts on the impending action RPG from Raven and Activision.

By Richard Aihoshi - 'Jonric'

The possessor of an uncanny ability to track people and an accelerated healing factor, Wolverine can also release razor-sharp retractable claws laced with the indestructible metal Adamantium. Jean Grey is a telepath capable of reading minds, projecting her thoughts onto others and unleashing powerful mental bolts. Her telekinetic talents allow her to move objects and to levitate. Storm's particular aptitude involves manipulating the weather. She can simulate rain and snow, generate winds, induce lightning and more. Iceman can radiate intense cold by lowering his body temperature. He can turn himself to ice at will and create slides, shields and other objects by freezing moisture in the air. Beast's qualities include superhuman strength, impressive speed and dexterity, the agility of an acrobat and the intelligence of an internationally renowned scientist, while Cyclops projects a beam of concussive force from his eyes.

Together with various other students of the Xavier Institute for higher learning, this exceptional sextet will appear in X-Men Legends, Raven Software's action RPG slated to ship late this month for the three main console platforms. In a story created by Men of Action, a group made up of former Marvel comic writers, the superhero band will face the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a sinister organization created and led by perhaps the most formidable adversary of all, Magneto. For unknown reasons, he and his minions attempted to capture a female mutant name Alison Crestmere, also known as Magma. As we've seen in the game's opening cinematic, the X-Men successfully intervened. However, the villain certainly isn't about to be deterred that easily. We tapped into Activision Producer Blaine Christine, Raven Programming Lead Dan Edwards and colleague Robert Gee to learn more.

Jonric: How would you introduce X-Men Legends? What aspects of the property made it attractive for an RPG, and what challenges did you face in order to adapt it to the genre?

Blaine Christine and Dan Edwards: To answer your first question, X-Men Legends is an action RPG that allows players to create and customize their very own team of X-Men throughout an epic storyline created specifically for this game.

Making an X-Men RPG was a natural extension of the comics themselves. You have the perfect set-up because Professor Xavier's school is all about training mutants to use their powers effectively. Add to this the natural team element of the X-Men and voila, X-Men Legends is born!

In terms of challenge, the biggest thing we had to overcome was allowing the player to control four characters at once in real time. Since we don't slow down the action or use a turn-based system, our game has a very unique feel within the action RPG genre.

there are lots of hidden goodies and unlockable costumes that should keep players busy playing the game more than once.

Jonric: When did the idea arise, how long has the game been in development, and how confident are you about shipping by the end of this month?

Blaine Christine and Dan Edwards: The idea for the game has been floating around the halls of Activision for quite some time, but Raven did not begin full fledged production on Legends until about three years ago. At this point, we are wrapping up all versions of the game, and we are 100% confident it will be out before the end of September. No obstacles in sight unless the manufacturing facilities lose power for the entire next month. *knock on wood*

Jonric: What will differentiate X-Men Legends from other RPGs this season? How much playing time can the average player expect, and to what degree will the game be replayable?

Blaine Christine and Dan Edwards: X-Men Legends is an action RPG rather than a classic RPG that many gamers might compare it to. People will find the game much more enjoyable on a mechanics level than any other RPG this year, or in any year.

The average gamer will experience 20 to 25 hours of playtime with one playthrough, but the number of playable characters and variety with which you can build their powers will keep subsequent playthroughs fresh. Additionally, there are lots of hidden goodies and unlockable costumes that should keep players busy playing the game more than once.

Jonric: Without spoiling it, what is the story about? Is it related to the comics or movies? What's the basic structure of the game? To what extent are you using cinematics to help tell the tale?

Blaine Christine and Dan Edwards: Our storyline was crafted specifically for this game, so the backstory is not drawn from any particular X-Men storyline - movie, comic or otherwise. Likewise, the time is here and now, not a time specific to any existing storyline. The main plot revolves around the Brotherhood of Mutants (the "Bad Guys") and their desire to capture a young woman by the name of Alison Crestmere. The X-Men must determine why Magneto and his minions are so interested in Alison and bring her into the fold as a full-fledged team member along the way. By the end of the story, Alison (also known as Magma) has realized her full potential and plays a key part in the fight against the Brotherhood.

The game's structure revolves around individual missions that the player must take on to uncover Magneto's plot and defeat an evil menace. Cinematics definitely play a very large part in our story. The player can expect to see LOTS of pre-rendered sequences that help to tell our epic RPG story.